How It All Ends
by sierralim91
Summary: AU-ish story about the NJBC, set some time beyond 5x22, some things never happened. Eventual C/B and N/S. My version of how GG should end its series. Better summary inside!
1. And It Begins

_I'm going back and forth in deciding whether I should write this. It's a very NJBC story, and centres on four of them. I'm not including certain things in GG that has happened so far (as of 5x22), so consider this AU-ish. Currently, here's how it is: Dan is still with Blair, Nate is with Lola and Serena is nursing her wounds while Chuck has ended his investigation on finding out who is mother/father is (basically, Bart Bass never reappeared)._

_And, as a disclaimer – my name is not Cecily von Ziegesar._

* * *

**How It All Ends**

Everything is back in place on the Upper East Side. The sun is shining out for good reason, and for once there is peace that reigns almost as though it's permanent. There are no fights, no drama, and no conflicts between the kings and queens of the land. Well, at least, not any that can be explicitly seen and voiced.

At the Empire, Chuck is preparing his usual energy smoothie in the blender while Nate, fully dressed in a suit, walks out from his bedroom with Lola who kisses him goodbye on the lips and waves to Chuck before slipping out of the loft into the elevator.

"Ever the loving boyfriend," Chuck remarks as he switches on the blender.

Nate gives a sheepish smile and walks to the kitchen to get some coffee. "It's only the second time she's slept over this week," he calls.

"It's only Tuesday," Chuck replies, giving a knowing look and pouring the contents from the blender into a tall glass.

"Okay. But it's not like we're bothering you, are we?" Nate asked as he walked back to the bar and sat down with his coffee mug, facing his best friend.

"Since when do I ever get bothered by your sexual endeavours?" Chuck answers.

"It's not an endeavour, it's a relationship," Nate corrects.

Chuck smiles deviously. "Well of course," he quips. "Let me know if this one works out, Nathaniel."

Nate laughs and shakes his head. "It's not as though you have lost all faith in women, have you?"

"No, I don't have time for them," Chuck responds. "You know I have had enough for the time being."

"Didn't think I'd ever hear Chuck Bass say this," Nate teases.

"You know I'm a changed man," Chuck says. "And this is not about me. You've been with one woman every year and they have never worked out. Not to be mean, Nathaniel, but I was just making an observation."

Nate glances at Chuck. "Well, Lola and I are just trying it out. One step at a time, and so far it's good. What point are you trying to make anyway?"

"That too much time with the opposite gender is unhealthy and you need to help me with something."

Nate widened his eyes a little and looked up from his coffee mug, waiting for Chuck's response. Chuck looked pointedly at Nate.

"I've gotten news that my half-sister is going over the edge. I think some damage control is in order," Chuck states.

"Serena? Isn't doing that Blair's job?" Nate asks, lifting an eyebrow.

"Seeing as Humphrey has dragged her away to Spain for a literature venture over the weekend, I don't think we'll be getting any help there. Besides, after Serena's big blow-up, I wouldn't say they are both on very good terms," Chuck explains.

"Since when is Spain a literature venture?" Nate asks.

"Since Humphrey decided Spanish is a language worth exploring for his writing pursuits, maybe," Chuck says. "But we need to ensure Serena is taken care of."

"Lily called this morning, didn't she?"

"She needs our help."

"And you've found Serena? Where is she?"

"It's why I need your assistance."

* * *

_I know this is short, but I need to know if this is worth continuing. Please review and let me know! :)_


	2. Where The Edge Is

_A/N: Wow – I was pleasantly surprised by all the reviews I got asking me to continue; especially since it was a really short first chapter and it's my first attempt at writing GG. So thank you so much for all your encouragement! Hope you guys enjoy this continuation of the story._

_Disclaimer: I am not living in New York and I did not invent anything to do with the words 'gossip' or 'girl'._

* * *

Dan and Blair arrived hand in hand back in Manhattan on that bright Tuesday morning after the three-day trip to the land of exotic Spanish culture. Blair had wanted to take a trip off somewhere after the exhausting week of fights with Serena, which was still ensuing. Dan had promptly and spontaneously thought of Spain as an option – Europe was always the destination of choice for Blair anyway. He felt that it would be cause for inspiration, even; especially since he turned down the offer to spend his summer in Rome (though it was his own fault, which was something he would attempt to forget).

The taxi drives them to Blair's place and she quickly gets out with Dan following behind. Vanya gets her bags and they take the elevator up to her home, where Dorota waits.

"Miss Blair, you finally home! Many things happen when you gone, Miss Serena gone missing."

Blair huffs and says, "I wouldn't worry too much about what Miss Serena is doing, Dorota. She's probably having her own wild time somewhere."

Dorota sighs at Blair and takes her things. Dan turns to Blair with a concerned look. "Your fight with Serena isn't over? Look, I really don't want to be the reason why both of you are–"

"Fighting? Who says we are? Everything's fine, Dan, really," Blair cuts in, putting on a porcelain look so fake that even Dan raised his eyebrows and pointedly stared at her, awaiting her explanation.

Blair rolls her eyes and lets her shoulders sag a little. "I'm really not in the mood to talk about Serena."

Dan puts his hands on either side of Blair's arms and rubs them lightly. "Okay. But if you need to, you know I'm here, right?"

Blair manages a small smile. "I do. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Ever the gentle and understanding boyfriend, he doesn't press her and lets her have her space. He puts on his signature Dan Humphrey smile and gives her a quick peck on the lips, then leaves. Blair stands in the middle of her landing, a hand on the wooden centre table that holds a beautiful arrangement of flowers. She turns and looks at them, noticing the peonies that somehow pop out amongst the array of colour. It immediately reminds her of Chuck.

_If something is up with Serena, he's probably helping by now. No need to bother_, she thinks.

She is still mad at her somewhat ex-best friend, and she wants to stay as far away from this problem as possible. The old Blair Waldorf may have wanted to get her hands dirty in every situation, but this new Blair Waldorf needs to grow up and put boundaries – besides, she just returned from Spain. Barely an hour and there's already trouble? It's not surprising, but no one has actually called to tell her what's up, and there's no news from Gossip Girl yet.

_No one has asked me to help. I'll stay put for now._

Blair continues into her home and walks up the stairs to her bedroom to wash up. _There will always be time for worrying about other matters later on_, she convinces herself. But deep down, she's already on the ball, planning to call Chuck or Nate the moment she gets out of the bathroom.

...

Serena's eyes flutter open momentarily, her head still throbbing. She tries to make sense of everything that seems to float aimlessly in her brain – her memory of what happened the night before, where she really is, how she ended up in this place, what time it is, and a thousand other thoughts that punches the stability out of her system. A headache is still pounding in her head and she can't find the strength to get out of where she is; a bed, she realises, as she looks quickly around her. Someone had tucked her into a bed with a blanket, she thinks. She tries sitting up and the headache seems to hurt even more; but she gets her eyes fully open and attempts to get her brain to wake up so that she can think properly.

She doesn't know where she is. At least, she can't recognise it. She just assumes she hasn't been in this house before. She vaguely hears sounds of birds chirping outside. This doesn't sound like Manhattan – no noisy vehicles and no honks from taxis. The room is sparsely decorated; if anything, this looks like a cottage, with a country feel. She can see a pillow on the other side of the bed, and it looks like the sheets have all been messed up. She glances at the chair in the corner of the room and sees clothes, looking like it belongs to a man, hung over the back of the chair. She then hears footsteps, and as her brain begins to register her surroundings, she looks up in panic in the direction of the bedroom entrance.

The wooden door creaks a little as it opens and a man, dressed loosely in an unbuttoned long-sleeved work shirt and ruffled trousers, steps inside. He holds a cup of coffee towards Serena, and she looks at him; first, with confusion.

"Tripp. Wha– Why– How did you–" is all she manages. Her eyes are dark and drowsy.

"Shhhh," he says, sitting beside her on the bed. "It's going to be okay, Serena."

He hugs her and holds her head near his chest. Serena's rationale tries to kick in as she tries to pull away from him.

"No, no…" she starts. "No. What happened? Why did you bring me here?"

"I found you," Tripp says. "This is the only place you could be safe. You were going overboard, Serena."

"NO! What did you do to me?" Serena begins, her voice rising as her emotions heighten, and she stands up from the bed, looking at him.

He gets offended. "I HELPED YOU! What do you mean? I didn't do anything to you, we just slept together. I didn't even want to touch you, but you kept throwing yourself at me."

Serena lifts a hand to her forehead and she tries to tell herself that she didn't do anything, and that she didn't have sex with this man. She doesn't want to think about the possibility that this could happen. She tries desperately to remember her own account of the night before, but her efforts are to no avail; she's unable to recall anything.

_No, no, no, I didn't, I didn't… _

Tripp stands up and tries to move in again towards her, and Serena steps backward against the wall. She looks towards the bed and sees the messed up sheets; and for the first time, realises that the tight dress she's wearing is left hanging open, showing all her underclothes. She quickly zips it back up and looks around for her coat, which she finds and hastily puts on.

"Serena, you're not in the capacity to do anything but lie down and rest. Let me help you."

She's starting to feel a bit better. The hangover is still there but she is able to walk. She doesn't know how much alcohol she consumed the night before or the night before last night, because she has been out, going crazy.

"Please–" Serena squeaks out in a nasal voice, putting her hand in front of him. "Stay away from me."

Tripp reluctantly puts the mug down on the small coffee table in the bedroom and puts up both his hands in surrender. "All right," he says. "I'll start making breakfast and I'll be back."

Serena can't process this. She sees him walk out of the bedroom and she sinks down onto the chair. She grabs the coffee and starts taking sips of it.

_I need help. I need to get out of here… before anyone knows_, she considers, everything in the old Serena kicking itself back into place. She feels like she's fighting a losing battle against who she used to be.

She takes deep breaths and sinks back into the chair, helpless.

...

The limousine zooms across the way, heading out of the concrete jungle of the Upper East Side towards Nassau County. In it are Chuck and Nate, headed to their target destination.

"Are you sure that's where she is?" Nate asks again, anxious to get there, get Serena and leave. He doesn't want to be any more involved with this problem than he already is. The last time he saw Tripp, he wanted to punch the lights out of him (and he somewhat did) for what he did to Serena. He can't imagine what happened again this time and he doesn't want to speculate about what could have already happened while Serena is there with the idiocy of his relative.

Chuck looks at his best mate and nods. "I've had Andrew check it out and I'm a hundred percent positive. I know this is not where you'd like to be headed but you're the best person to help me deal with this and get Serena home – after all, you know the history between my half-sister and your cousin much better than I do, and extracting her will be much quicker with you around."

Nate looks out of the limo window and shakes his head, sighing. "Tripp and I are not the best buds we used to be when we were young. And you know I'm doing this for Serena; I'll protect her, get her out and you can deal with Tripp. I'm going to avoid speaking to him."

"Fair enough; that sounds like a plan. And I do know you're doing this for her; who else would you be doing this for, me?" Chuck scoffs jokingly.

"Ah, come on – you know at the end of the day I'd lend you a hand," Nate offers, grinning.

Chuck lets out a snort. "Well thank you, Nathaniel, but I think I can confidently say that the care you bestow upon my half-sister is the reason why you still do what you do."

"What do you mean? What do I do?" Nate asks, genuinely confused.

"You still love Serena," Chuck deadpans.

Nate angles his head at Chuck and feigns a look of denial.

"You can deny it, Nathaniel, and that's fine – maybe I'm wrong," Chuck easily says, not wanting the conversation to turn deep and heavy in a moment where they were meant to consider what could happen when facing Nate's cousin.

"I'll always love Serena," Nate admits. "But I'm with Lola. And Serena isn't exactly an option. Not when she doesn't care for me. She still has feelings for Dan."

Chuck looks at Nate and smiles, feeling proud of his friend for admitting the truth. "Ah yes, Humphrey. Well, let nature run its course and we shall see where it ends up."

"Oh, are you really saying that because you believe it, or because Blair's with Dan right now and you know you can't do anything about it?"

Nate cringes the moment he brings Blair up, as he doesn't want to make it difficult for Chuck, but deep down he has been concerned and wants to know if Chuck is alright with everything that's going on.

Unfazed by the change of topic to Blair, Chuck diplomatically says, "I do believe in letting nature run its course. In any case it's my choice not to do anything to interfere with Blair's relationships; it is her life, and I've decided that I would be happy if she is."

Nate, impressed as always by his friend's ability to withstand any temptation to lure Blair back, pats Chuck on the back and puts on a wistful smile as the limo pulls up outside the wide gates of a big cottage.

"We're here," Chuck says.

"Let's just get this over with," Nate replies, getting out of the car.

They unlock the brass gate and walk towards the front porch, and eventually Nate knocks on the heavy oak door and presses the door bell.

Tripp opens the door, unsurprised at the visitors. "Hello, cousin. What a pleasant surprise."

Nate's eyes darken. "We're not here to talk. Where is Serena?"

Tripp looks hurt. "Do you really have that much disregard for me?"

Chuck steps in. "Just let us take her home and we can be out of your way."

"I'm afraid I have to inform you that you that it won't be that simple."

"What do you want, Van Der Bilt?" Chuck asks.

"Nothing," Tripp replies. "Just that Serena's in pretty bad shape and I don't think taking her home in such a situation will be a good idea. She needs to rest."

"She can rest at home," Nate cuts in. "She doesn't need to be here. I'm pretty certain she doesn't want to be, either."

"How do you know?" Tripp asks. "She may want to stay, especially after last night."

Nate bursts out at him and clutches Tripp by the collar. Chuck goes to Nate and puts a hand on his shoulder, nudging him not to start a fight.

_So much for avoiding conversation_, Chuck thinks. At that very moment, Chuck's mobile phone rings. He looks at the caller ID.

_Blair._

"WHAT. Did. You. Do. To. Her?" Nate interrogates, eye to eye with his cousin.

Tripp doesn't look one bit shaken. "Do you think I'd ever hurt her? I saved her, in fact," he uttered.

Unsatisfied, but unwilling to pursue a physical fight, Nate lets go of Tripp.

"If I find out that you did anything to hurt her–"

"Nate, is that you?"

At the sound of her voice, he spins and looks at her.

"Serena."

* * *

_A/N: Just a note that I'm disregarding any appearances made by Tripp or Nate's grandfather in season 5, and I'm assuming the last time Nate saw either of them was during the debacle over Serena in season 3. Hope this makes sense. And I had to make someone a bit of a villain here, so Tripp was my immediate choice haha._

_The plot thickens, much more is to come! If any of you have suggestions of any sort as to what you'd like to see, do let me know and I'll have a think about it, though I have already planned how I want the story to turn out. :) Any feedback always helps, so please review!_


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